Samoa Geography, Plants & Animals
Samoa is located east of the International Dateline between longitudes 171º and 172º degrees west and latitudes 13º and 14º south of the Equator. It is about 2890km from
Auckland, 1200km from
Suva, 4400km from
Sydney and 8400km from Los Angeles.
Geography Samoa is comprised of two relatively large islands,
Upolu and
Savaii (which account for approximately 96% of the total land area) and eight smaller islands. The capital
Apia and Faleolo International Airport are located on the island of Upolu. Total land area is 2934 sq km. The islands are volcanic and dominated by rugged mountain ranges with a fringe of coral reefs and lagoons which surround the islands.
Flora & Fauna Samoa's tropical climate and fertile soils offer a wide range of flora from tropical rainforests to scrublands, marshes and swamps. Animal species include flying foxes, land and sea birds, skinks and geckos. In the surrounding ocean, dolphins, whales and porpoises migrate through Samoa's waters, while turtles are regular visitors to the islands. The surrounding reefs around the islands are home to some 900 fish species and over 200 varieties of coral.
Birdlife
Samoa has 10 endemic bird species and about 16 of the 34 land species are unique to the island. Uninhabited offshore islands are home to seabird breeding colonies, and the coastal walks on Manono Island are a great opportunity to see the more common species. Native pigeons and nesting seabirds can be found in the forested interior.